IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v62y2013icp665-675.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Factors influencing energy-saving behavior of urban households in Jiangsu Province

Author

Listed:
  • Yue, Ting
  • Long, Ruyin
  • Chen, Hong

Abstract

In this research, the willingness of households to adopt different energy-saving behavior has been analyzed, and factors influencing energy-saving behavior in Jiangsu Province, China, have been examined. The study builds on a broad and practical conceptual framework that embraces three types of energy-saving behavior and four dimensions of influencing factors, including socio-demographics, energy-saving awareness, behavioral ability, and situational factors. The empirical results are based on an Internet survey that was sent out to 638 households. The results indicate that socio-demographic characteristics, including age, gender, income level, household structure, and educational background, are all important factors influencing energy-saving behavior. At present, respondents adopt the usage-reduction type of behavior more often than the other two types, which require a greater capacity to pay for energy-efficient products and a higher level of energy-saving awareness. Situational factors have significant positive moderating effects when the variables of behavioral ability and energy-saving awareness act on energy-saving behavior. In addition, the results also show that spatial differences exist among the three regions of Jiangsu Province. Finally, some implications of these results for the design of future incentive policies and measures to encourage energy-saving behavior are presented.

Suggested Citation

  • Yue, Ting & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong, 2013. "Factors influencing energy-saving behavior of urban households in Jiangsu Province," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 665-675.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:62:y:2013:i:c:p:665-675
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2013.07.051
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421513006940
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.07.051?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wang, Zhaohua & Zhang, Bin & Yin, Jianhua & Zhang, Yixiang, 2011. "Determinants and policy implications for household electricity-saving behaviour: Evidence from Beijing, China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 3550-3557, June.
    2. Ueno, Tsuyoshi & Inada, Ryo & Saeki, Osamu & Tsuji, Kiichiro, 2006. "Effectiveness of an energy-consumption information system for residential buildings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 83(8), pages 868-883, August.
    3. Barr, Stewart & Gilg, Andrew W & Ford, Nicholas, 2005. "The household energy gap: examining the divide between habitual- and purchase-related conservation behaviours," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(11), pages 1425-1444, July.
    4. Gadenne, David & Sharma, Bishnu & Kerr, Don & Smith, Tim, 2011. "The influence of consumers' environmental beliefs and attitudes on energy saving behaviours," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 7684-7694.
    5. Dias, Rubens A. & Mattos, Cristiano R. & Balestieri, Jose A. P., 2004. "Energy education: breaking up the rational energy use barriers," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(11), pages 1339-1347, July.
    6. Druckman, A. & Jackson, T., 2008. "Household energy consumption in the UK: A highly geographically and socio-economically disaggregated model," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 3167-3182, August.
    7. Goldblatt, David L. & Hartmann, Christoph & Durrenberger, Gregor, 2005. "Combining interviewing and modeling for end-user energy conservation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 257-271, January.
    8. Wang, Zhao-Hua & Zeng, Hua-Lin & Wei, Yi-Ming & Zhang, Yi-Xiang, 2012. "Regional total factor energy efficiency: An empirical analysis of industrial sector in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 115-123.
    9. Gyberg, Per & Palm, Jenny, 2009. "Influencing households' energy behaviour--how is this done and on what premises?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(7), pages 2807-2813, July.
    10. Dillman, Don A. & Rosa, Eugene A. & Dillman, Joye J., 1983. "Lifestyle and home energy conservation in the United States: the poor accept lifestyle cutbacks while the wealthy invest in conservation," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 3(3-4), pages 299-315, September.
    11. Ueno, Tsuyoshi & Sano, Fuminori & Saeki, Osamu & Tsuji, Kiichiro, 2006. "Effectiveness of an energy-consumption information system on energy savings in residential houses based on monitored data," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 83(2), pages 166-183, February.
    12. van Houwelingen, Jeannet H & van Raaij, W Fred, 1989. "The Effect of Goal-Setting and Daily Electronic Feedback on In-home Energy Use," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 16(1), pages 98-105, June.
    13. Yue, Ting & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong & Zhao, Xin, 2013. "The optimal CO2 emissions reduction path in Jiangsu province: An expanded IPAT approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 1510-1517.
    14. Gaspar, Rui & Antunes, Dalila, 2011. "Energy efficiency and appliance purchases in Europe: Consumer profiles and choice determinants," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(11), pages 7335-7346.
    15. McCalley, L. T. & Midden, Cees J. H., 2002. "Energy conservation through product-integrated feedback: The roles of goal-setting and social orientation," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 23(5), pages 589-603, October.
    16. Allcott, Hunt, 2011. "Social norms and energy conservation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(9-10), pages 1082-1095, October.
    17. Dianshu, Feng & Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Minh Vu, Khuong, 2010. "The barriers to energy efficiency in China: Assessing household electricity savings and consumer behavior in Liaoning Province," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 1202-1209, February.
    18. Van Raaij, W. Fred & Verhallen, Theo M. M., 1983. "A behavioral model of residential energy use," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 3(1), pages 39-63.
    19. O'Doherty, Joe & Lyons, Sean & Tol, Richard S.J., 2008. "Energy-using appliances and energy-saving features: Determinants of ownership in Ireland," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(7), pages 650-662, July.
    20. Allcott, Hunt, 2011. "Social norms and energy conservation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(9), pages 1082-1095.
    21. Abrahamse, Wokje & Steg, Linda, 2009. "How do socio-demographic and psychological factors relate to households' direct and indirect energy use and savings?," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 711-720, October.
    22. Wang, Zhaohua & Zhang, Bin & Zhang, Yixiang, 2012. "Determinants of public acceptance of tiered electricity price reform in China: Evidence from four urban cities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 235-244.
    23. Steg, Linda, 2008. "Promoting household energy conservation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 4449-4453, December.
    24. Song, Malin & Song, Yaqing & An, Qingxian & Yu, Huayin, 2013. "Review of environmental efficiency and its influencing factors in China: 1998–2009," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 8-14.
    25. Poortinga, Wouter & Steg, Linda & Vlek, Charles & Wiersma, Gerwin, 2003. "Household preferences for energy-saving measures: A conjoint analysis," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 49-64, February.
    26. Sütterlin, Bernadette & Brunner, Thomas A. & Siegrist, Michael, 2011. "Who puts the most energy into energy conservation? A segmentation of energy consumers based on energy-related behavioral characteristics," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 8137-8152.
    27. Thøgersen, John & Grønhøj, Alice, 2010. "Electricity saving in households--A social cognitive approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(12), pages 7732-7743, December.
    28. Owens, Susan & Driffill, Louise, 2008. "How to change attitudes and behaviours in the context of energy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 4412-4418, December.
    29. Benders, Rene M.J. & Kok, Rixt & Moll, Henri C. & Wiersma, Gerwin & Noorman, Klaas Jan, 2006. "New approaches for household energy conservation--In search of personal household energy budgets and energy reduction options," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(18), pages 3612-3622, December.
    30. Ek, Kristina & Söderholm, Patrik, 2010. "The devil is in the details: Household electricity saving behavior and the role of information," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 1578-1587, March.
    31. J. J. Hox, 1994. "Hierarchical Regression Models for Interviewer and Respondent Effects," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 22(3), pages 300-318, February.
    32. Mills, Bradford & Schleich, Joachim, 2010. "What's driving energy efficient appliance label awareness and purchase propensity?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 814-825, February.
    33. Sardianou, Eleni, 2007. "Estimating energy conservation patterns of Greek households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 3778-3791, July.
    34. Vringer, Kees & Aalbers, Theo & Blok, Kornelis, 2007. "Household energy requirement and value patterns," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 553-566, January.
    35. DeWaters, Jan E. & Powers, Susan E., 2011. "Energy literacy of secondary students in New York State (USA): A measure of knowledge, affect, and behavior," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 1699-1710, March.
    36. Martinsson, Johan & Lundqvist, Lennart J. & Sundström, Aksel, 2011. "Energy saving in Swedish households. The (relative) importance of environmental attitudes," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 5182-5191, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Trotta, Gianluca, 2018. "Factors affecting energy-saving behaviours and energy efficiency investments in British households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 529-539.
    2. Fiorillo, Damiano & Sapio, Alessandro, 2019. "Energy saving in Italy in the late 1990s: Which role for non-monetary motivations?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 1-1.
    3. Yu, Yihua & Guo, Jin, 2016. "Identifying electricity-saving potential in rural China: Empirical evidence from a household survey," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 1-9.
    4. Camara, N’Famory & Xu, Deyi & Binyet, Emmanuel, 2018. "Enhancing household energy consumption: How should it be done?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 669-681.
    5. Ohler, Adrienne M. & Billger, Sherrilyn M., 2014. "Does environmental concern change the tragedy of the commons? Factors affecting energy saving behaviors and electricity usage," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 1-12.
    6. Elisha R. Frederiks & Karen Stenner & Elizabeth V. Hobman, 2015. "The Socio-Demographic and Psychological Predictors of Residential Energy Consumption: A Comprehensive Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-37, January.
    7. Nieves García-de-Frutos & José Manuel Ortega-Egea & Javier Martínez-del-Río, 2018. "Anti-consumption for Environmental Sustainability: Conceptualization, Review, and Multilevel Research Directions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(2), pages 411-435, March.
    8. Spandagos, Constantine & Yarime, Masaru & Baark, Erik & Ng, Tze Ling, 2020. "“Triple Target” policy framework to influence household energy behavior: Satisfy, strengthen, include," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    9. Tampakis, Stilianos & Arabatzis, Garyfallos & Tsantopoulos, Georgios & Rerras, Ioannis, 2017. "Citizens’ views on electricity use, savings and production from renewable energy sources: A case study from a Greek island," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 39-49.
    10. Stamatios Ntanos & Grigorios L. Kyriakopoulos & Garyfallos Arabatzis & Vasilios Palios & Miltiadis Chalikias, 2018. "Environmental Behavior of Secondary Education Students: A Case Study at Central Greece," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-22, May.
    11. Véronique Vasseur & Anne-Francoise Marique & Vladimir Udalov, 2019. "A Conceptual Framework to Understand Households’ Energy Consumption," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-22, November.
    12. Kaplowitz, Michael D. & Thorp, Laurie & Coleman, Kayla & Kwame Yeboah, Felix, 2012. "Energy conservation attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors in science laboratories," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 581-591.
    13. Lopes, M.A.R. & Antunes, C.H. & Martins, N., 2012. "Energy behaviours as promoters of energy efficiency: A 21st century review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(6), pages 4095-4104.
    14. Shujie Zhao & Qingbin Song & Chao Wang, 2019. "Characterizing the Energy-Saving Behaviors, Attitudes and Awareness of University Students in Macau," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-11, November.
    15. Bai, Yin & Liu, Yong, 2013. "An exploration of residents’ low-carbon awareness and behavior in Tianjin, China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 1261-1270.
    16. Mills, Bradford & Schleich, Joachim, 2012. "Residential energy-efficient technology adoption, energy conservation, knowledge, and attitudes: An analysis of European countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 616-628.
    17. Karim Khan & Anwar Shah & Jaffar Khan, 2016. "Electricity Consumption Patterns: Comparative Evidence from Pakistan’s Public and Private Sectors," Lahore Journal of Economics, Department of Economics, The Lahore School of Economics, vol. 21(1), pages 99-122, Jan-June.
    18. Quaglione, Davide & Cassetta, Ernesto & Crociata, Alessandro & Sarra, Alessandro, 2017. "Exploring additional determinants of energy-saving behaviour: The influence of individuals' participation in cultural activities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 503-511.
    19. Spandagos, Constantine & Ng, Tze Ling, 2018. "Fuzzy model of residential energy decision-making considering behavioral economic concepts," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 611-625.
    20. Ma, Guo & Andrews-Speed, Philip & Zhang, Jiandong, 2013. "Chinese consumer attitudes towards energy saving: The case of household electrical appliances in Chongqing," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 591-602.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:62:y:2013:i:c:p:665-675. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.